The resignation of Congressman John Conyerswill leave the seat vacant until it is filled by a special election.
It will be up to Governor Rick Snyder to call a special primary and a special election at an estimated cost of about a million dollars. The governor could align it with election dates in May and August that are already on the 2018 calendar.
Snyder is a Republican and the metro Detroit district leans heavily Democratic. But there is bipartisan support for filling the vacancy as soon as possible.
That’s because Congress has issues pending that affect Michigan. Those include Great Lakes funding, invasive species, modernizing the Soo Locks, trade deals, and issues important to the auto industry. And members on both sides of the aisle say Michigan needs every vote it can get on these questions.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org